Author: Maghakian Mike

DID TURKEY’S AMBASSADOR REALLY LOBBY FOR PASSAGE OF GENOCIDE RESOLUTION?

Noyan Tapan
March 24, 2010

By Harut Sassounian, Publisher, The California Courier

Thousands of articles are posted on the internet every day. But,
very few make us fall off our chairs!

Last week I came across a shocking news item posted by the Turkish
Forum — the largest website for Turkish news. It was titled:
"Forgotten Ambassador in Sierra Leone Uses Armenian Genocide Resolution
to solve his Problem." Here is the summary in translation of that
incredible article:

"In recent years, parliaments of several countries have adopted
resolutions on the Armenian Genocide. In retaliation, Turkey has
recalled its ambassadors from these countries. It has been revealed
that some opportunistic ambassadors exploited this situation, by
abusing their position.

"According to a Foreign Ministry announcement this morning, Orhan Emin
Turkone, Turkey’s Ambassador in Sierra Leone for the past 12 years,
has been fired for having lobbied for the passage of the Armenian
Genocide bill in that country’s Parliament.

"During a press conference this morning, the Foreign Ministry’s
Undersecretary Ersin Ozbukey explained: "Recently, it came to our
attention that the so-called Armenian Genocide bill was placed on the
agenda of the Parliaments of Chad, Eritrea, and Djibouti. But, when we
saw that this bill was unanimously adopted by the Parliament of Sierra
Leone, we started suspecting that something had gone terribly wrong."

Ozbukey added: "We formed an investigative committee that uncovered
some interesting, but disturbing information."

"We confirmed that Amb. Turkone had carried out lobbying activities in
favor of the Armenian Genocide bill," Ozbukey stated. "Of course, this
can’t be excused, but the Ministry also has its fault in this affair.

This man was abandoned and forgotten in a far away country. He got
that idea, after [Turkish] Ambassadors were recalled following the
adoption of the genocide resolution by other countries. Twelve years
is a long time," Ozbukey admitted.

"Ozbukey then provided the details of Amb. Turkone unbelievable actions
in publicizing the Armenian Genocide in Sierra Leone. Ozbukey said
that whenever the Ambassador visited a bar, he would write on facebook:
"We massacred the Armenians in such a nasty way." He told bartenders:
"My grandfather alone killed 100-150 Armenians whose bones are in
the basement of our home." The Ambassador made up such falsehoods
and lies. He basically said whatever came to his head.

Sierra Leone is a small place. Word spreads quickly. No one had ever
heard of either Armenia or Turkey. But, within a month, everyone in
the whole country was agitated over this issue. People were dancing in
the streets when they learned that the genocide was recognized. This
shouldn’t have happened, but unfortunately, it did!

"Ozbukey explained that after this revelation, the Turkish government
started paying more attention to the agenda of various parliaments. In
order to avoid such situations in the future, instead of recalling
ambassadors, ‘we are now considering the possibility of cutting off
trade relations, until the resolution is removed from the Parliament’s
agenda,"

Even though this article sounded too good to be true, the amount
of detail and specific names mentioned in it led dozens of Turkish
websites to post it, without realizing that it was a hoax! After
learning that Turkey did not have an embassy in Sierra Leone, the
Turkish Forum deleted the fake news from its website. It was also
not true that Armenian Genocide resolutions were being considered by
parliaments of Chad, Djibouti and Eritrea in recent months.

It is not known who concocted this elaborate hoax. Given the extensive
amount of criticism directed at Prime Minister Erdogan within Turkey
in recent weeks, the author could well be a disgruntled Turk with
a sense of humor who decided to take a sarcastic swipe at his Don
Quixotic leader. The article was accompanied by an authentic looking
photo of three African officials along with a non-African individual
at a signing ceremony. The photo gave the false impression that the
latter was the Turkish Ambassador to Sierra Leone.

It is not at all surprising that several Turkish websites fell
for this ruse, as the government of Turkey has made a practice of
recalling its ambassadors from France, Canada, the United States,
and other countries for having recognized the Armenian Genocide.

Namik Tan, the newly appointed Turkish ambassador to Washington,
was recalled on March 4 after the House Foreign Affairs Committee
approved the Armenian Genocide resolution. It was reported that
he might stay in Ankara until after April 24. This is great news
for Armenian-American activists, as they can lobby Congress without
facing any opposition from the Turkish Ambassador during the crucial
weeks leading to April 24, when he needs to be in Washington trying
to block the Genocide Resolution in the House and persuade Pres. Obama
not to refer to the Armenian Genocide in his annual statement!

To the best of our knowledge, Amb. Tan did not lobby Congress for
passage of the Armenian Genocide resolution, as did the fictional
ambassador in Sierre Leone, in order take an extended vacation with
family and friends back home. However, judging from Prime Minister
Erdogan’s recent self-defeating statements, sometimes truth is indeed
stranger than fiction!

PROTOCOLS’ FATE TURNED VAGUE

news.am
March 22 2010
Armenia

The fate of Armenia-Turkey Protocols turned vague under the recent
developments.

Turkish Today’s Zaman says on the threshold of April 24 Turkey’s
concerns over the possible statement by the White House on Armenian
Genocide are increasing, as it is yet unclear whether the U.S.

President will fulfill his pledge and pronounce the word "genocide".

According to the daily, this year relations between the states became
more complex due "to harsh statements, lack of trust and unhappy
politicians from both sides."

The source quotes Istanbul-based director of the Europe Program of
the International Crisis Group Sabine Freizer, who deems that it would
be better for Turkey to ratify the documents till April 24, "because
one of the protocols includes the establishment of a commission for
an impartial scientific examination of the historical records and
archives to define existing problems and formulate recommendations."

"It is clear that Turkey will not ratify the protocols and that as
a consequence Armenia will rescind them," Today’s Zaman quotes Boris
Navasardian, president of the Yerevan Press Club.

He mentions that there are no precise terms for ratification and
deadline might be extended till April 24, 2010. Meanwhile, there is
nothing but "a critical lack of trust and respect" between the states.

According to him, Armenia and Turkey are presently worried about
"how to withdraw from the process with minimal losses."

COMPETITION OF MILITARY ROBOTS TO BE HELD IN ARMENIA

news.am
March 22 2010
Armenia

A competition of military robots will for the first time be held
in Armenia, Mariam Nahapetyan, Manager of the Armenian Robots Open
Competition /ArmRobotics, told NEWS.am.

She said that military robots in Armenia have to perform the simplest
tasks. "During the first competition mine detector robots will be
constructed. The context will also be held in Nagorno-Karabakh on
May 9, on the occasion of the Shushi victory.

Nahapetyan pointed out that the up-to-date technologies will be
applied in the Armenian defense system.

The Armenian Robots Open Competition was first held in 2008 on the
initiative of the Union of Information Technologies Enterprises.

‘TURKEY HAS NO MORAL RIGHT TO IMPOSE ANY CONDITIONS,’ SAYS SARKISIAN

Asbarez
no-moral-right-to-impose-any-conditions%e2%80%99-s ays-sarkisian/
Mar 22nd, 2010

YEREVAN-President Serzh Sarkisian Friday, in an interview with
Euronews, said Turkey had no moral right to blame Armenia for anything,
nor does it have a right to impose any conditions on Armenia. Sarkisian
also voiced official Yerevan’s concerns regarding the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict resolution process.

The transcript of the interview with Euronews’ Laura Davidescu was
obtained as Asbarez was going to press. We present the transcript in
its entirety below:

Euronews: President Sarkisian, with 23 votes in favour of the
resolution and 22 against, the Foreign Affairs Committee of the United
States’ House of Representatives has decided to declare that the
1915 massacre of over one million Armenians by the Ottoman Turks was
genocide. Why do you think the committee has voted the resolution now?

President Serzh Sarkisian: Discussions on the recognition of the
Armenian genocide are not new in the political life of the United
States of America.

Several times at least in the past 10 years, the Foreign Affairs
Committee of the House of Representatives has tried to vote on the
resolution.

Forty-two states in the US have recognized the events as genocide,
so the resolution on the 4th of March is neither a surprise nor a
new thing for us.

Euronews: Do you think of any particular reason for them voting it now,
in this particular context of Turkish-Armenian reconciliation?

Sarkisian: We are currently in discussions with Turkey on the issue
of re-establishing our relations. This should be done without any
preconditions, and I think that Turkey has no moral right to blame us
about anything or to impose any conditions. Re-establishing relations
without preconditions means we are not under any obligations to stay
away from any of the possible topics.

Let’s say that, by some miracle, the Turkish Parliament ratifies the
protocols, the Armenian Parliament does the same, we re-establish our
relations and a third country, which is against us re-establishing
our relations, on purpose takes up the genocide issue. Will the Turks,
therefore, use this as a pretext and break off relations?

Euronews: If Armenia’s major problems now are unemployment, economic
isolation and long- running disputes with Turkey and Azerbaijan,
can these problems be more easily solved now?

Sarkisian: Our difficulties with Turkey did not begin yesterday. For
17 years, Turkey has kept the Armenian border under blockade. Was
there such a resolution 17 years ago? We fully understand that
Turkey is a big country – in terms of population, territory and
power… vastly bigger than Armenia. And if we lived apart from each
other we would [also] understand. But since Armenia and Turkey are
part of the international community, and the United States, France
and the European Union are too, then the international community must
assess the developments and situations as they unfold.

Euronews: I would go back to the recognition of the Armenian genocide:
If this issue is of paramount concern for Armenians both at home
and in the Diaspora, could you please tell us why the Yerevan State
University awarded an honorary degree to the Iranian President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad in 2007? The Iranian president denies the Holocaust.

Sarkisian: You know, we cannot oblige our neighbours to think as
we do. One should not narrow things down to a single person. To
bestow upon the leader of a country an honorific reward signifies an
expression of gratitude and recognition towards the people of that
country. The Iranians have been our neighbours for centuries and they
are very important to us.

Euronews: Would you call the Yerevan state university’s decision
Armenian "realpolitik"?

Sarkisian: I would consider it as a particular approach by the State
University of Yerevan towards a particular issue, an approach quite
current in Europe and in the democratically developed countries of
the world.

Euronews: You are quoted as having said in London, in February, that
Nagorno Karabakh was never a part of independent Azerbaijan. Well,
the international community seems to have another opinion, another
assessment.

Sarkisian: The international community does not have a different
vision. History is well-known… Nagorno Karabakh was not a
part of independent Azerbaijan. It was the Caucasus Bureau of the
Communist Party of the Soviet Union which attached Nagorno Karabakh
to Azerbaijan.

Why did the international community acclaim the collapse of the Soviet
Union and not consider Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan
and Uzbekistan part and parcel of the Soviet Union? – still saying
Karabakh is an integral part of Azerbaidjan? It is not logical, is it?

Euronews: What kind of compromises are you willing to make in order
to achieve a peaceful resolution of this conflict?

Sarkisian: One cannot eliminate the consequences of this conflict
without addressing its causes. And when speaking about the causes… we
talk about recognising the people of Nagorno Karabakh’s right of self
determination… the recognition of this right and its implementation.

The other problems will be solved rapidly after that.

The Armenian parts of this conflict, Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh,
are profoundly interested in a swift resolution of this conflict. But
a sustainable resolution that would allow for peace and security in
the region, as opposed to giving Azerbaijan Nagorno Karabakh, which
would spell the end of its existence.

Euronews: Azerbaijan states very clearly that it will never ever accept
Nagorno Karabakh as an independent entity. They will never let it go.

Sarkisian: What does the international community propose to us? To
solve this conflict on the basis of three principles of international
law: firstly, self-determination; secondly, territorial integrity;
and thirdly, the non-use of force. I propose, through you, the media,
to appeal to Azerbaijan to sign an agreement not to use force. This
would instill trust in the Armenian people of Karabakh and Armenia. And
under these conditions of trust we would begin the negotiations for a
settlement. We Armenians know very well what Azerbaijan’s territorial
integrity means. We’ve talked about it openly several times. The
Azerbaijanis… can they say what the right of self-determination
means for the people of Nagorno Karabakh?

When we issue joint declarations about the right of self-determination,
Azerbaijan is not talking about the Armenian people’s right to
self-determination but of the right of the main player in the
conflict… the people of Nagorno Karabakh.

TURKEY TARGETS SWEDISH DEPUTIES WHO VOTED FOR GENOCIDE RESOLUTION

Tert.am
15:17 â~@¢ 23.03.10

Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has launched a
slanderous campaign against those Swedish deputies of Turkish and
Kurdish origin who voted for a recent resolution recognizing the
genocide of Armenians, Assyrians and Chaldeans, according to a release
issued by the Assyrian Democratic Movement (Zowaa), which represents
Assyrians, Chaldeans and Syriacs.

"Historical realities cannot be endlessly smothered. For a century,
unsuccessful attempts have been made to constantly distort, deny and
ignore the fact of massacres committed towards the Armenians, Assyrians
and Chaldeans. Efforts made by nations subjected to massacres and also
by conscientious historians, intellectuals and outstanding political
figures spread light on those dark historical events, and Turkey was
condemned as a slaughterer. But Turkish authorities, considering it an
unfair step against Turkey, have launched a campaign in the Swedish
riksdag against Assyrian national deputies — Yilmaz Kerimo, Ibrahim
Baylan and Kurdish national deputy Gulan Avcı — who voted for the
resolution recognizing the Armenian Genocide," reads the release.

These developments, as well as the recent threat by Turkish Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to deport Armenians working illegally in
Turkey if necessary, show that there is no difference between today’s
Turkish authorities and opposition and that which perpetrated the
massacres of Armenians in 1915.

"We strongly condemn the slanderous campaign launched against
Yilmaz Kerimo, Ibrahim Baylan and Gulan Avcı … Turkey will not be
democratized unless it acknowledges its own history and past crimes."

TURKISH ACTRESS SUBJECTED TO DEATH THREATS FOR ACKNOWLEDGING ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

Tert.am
22.03.10

In a TV program called "The Back Room of History" broadcast by
Haberturk TV channel, famous Turkish artist and actress Pelin Batu
said she was receiving death threats after, during the same program
last week, she had said that "the 1915 events constituted Genocide"
and had burst into tears, reports Turkish news source Milliyet.

"We have to be careful about what we say because I am receiving
death threats for the words I used last week. I am receiving emails
that read ‘Go and become their lawyer.’ I am not a lawyer for any
nation, neither for Armenians, nor for Turks, nor the Kurds … I am
only saying let’s speak objectively about what happened. Our nation
has become so intolerant," said the actress hinting at Turkish Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s recent notorious statement on deporting
Armenian migrants working illegally in Turkey.

"We have become an intolerant nation. The prime minister’s words do
not contribute to anything. And for that reason I am recieving death
threats," she said.

Anadolu Agency, Turkey
March 20 2010

US-Turkey annual conference postponed due to Armenian resolution

Istanbul, 20 March: The 29th Annual Conference on United States-Turkey
Relations, which is organized by Turkish-American Business Council
(TAIK) and American-Turkish Council (ATC) every year in April, was
postponed.

Foreign Economic Relations Board of Turkey (DEIK) stated on Saturday
[20 March] that the conference, which was planned to be held in
Washington between 11 and 14 April, was postponed due to approval of
an Armenian resolution at Foreign Relations Committee of US Congress
and the following developments.

TAIK and ATC made the postponement decision together, added DEIK.

The two councils expressed sorrow over the postponement of the
conference to a further date, and stressed that they had full
confidence in sound commercial and investment relations between Turkey
and the US.

On 4 March , the US House of Representatives Committee on Foreign
Relations approved a resolution in support of the Armenian allegations
regarding the incidents of 1915.

Upon such development, Turkey temporarily recalled its ambassador in
Washington D.C. Namik Tan to Ankara.

Aysor, Armenia
March 20 2010

Erdogan accuses media of distortion of claim to expel Armenians

Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused media of
distortion of his statement to expel Armenians, that he made after
U.S. and Swedish lawmakers passed votes branding World War One-era
killings of Armenians by Turks as genocide.

Erdogan said Friday that media had got him wrong as he hadn’t
threatened to expel all Armenians from Turkey. He stressed that he had
said of only undocumented Armenians, illegally loving in Turkey.

When asked Tuesday about the votes in an interview with BBC, Turkish
Prime Minister said: `There are currently 170,000 Armenians living in
our country. Only 70,000 of them are Turkish citizens, but we are
tolerating the remaining 100,000. If necessary, I may have to tell
these 100,000 to go back to their country because they are not my
citizens.’

WHY ARE ARMENIAN WINES NOT COMPETITIVE IN THE GLOBAL MARKET?

Tert.am
18:47 ~U 17.03.10

Armenia cannot produce wines that will meet international standards
as there are no high-quality species of grape in Armenia, Winemakers’
Union of Armenia President Avag Harutyunyan said at a press conference
today.

According to Avagyan, usually it takes a long time to solve this type
of problem, and even if a solution is found, it will take about 25
years to have high-quality grapes.

"We do not have thousands of hectares of land that yield good-quality
grapes; we have only 500-600 hectares. While our partners overseas
constantly require high-quality produce," said Harutyunyan.

In his words, the next challenge the winemaking sector is facing
now is related to a disease called filoksera winiec that was found
in Armavir marz (province) last year and that must be fought against
at a state level.

"A special body must be created which will do all the work to fight
against this disease. Otherwise, we will have serious problems,"
said he.

Harutyunyan also complained about the state in which the winemaking
equipments are now, adding their average age has reached 50 years,
when they should be substituted by new ones once in every 10-15 years.

Winemakers’ Union of Armenia has on numerous occasions turned to the
RA Ministry of Agriculture so that whenever the ministry proposes
programs to international bodies, it must also include improvements
in the winemaking sector.

"It will make it possible to develop the sector through grants but
the Ministry of Agriculture says it has more serious problems [than
that]," concluded Harutunyan.

OSCE MG CO-CHAIRS ISSUE A STATEMENT

PanARMENIAN.Net
18.03.2010 12:37 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Ambassadors
Yuri Merzlyakov of Russia, Bernard Fassier of France, and Robert
Bradtke of the United States, released the following statement on
March 17:

"The OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs (Ambassador Yuri Merzlyakov,
the Russian Federation; Ambassador Bernard Fassier, France; and
Ambassador Robert Bradtke, United States) met with Armenian Foreign
Minister Edward Nalbandian March 16 in Paris, where they held a working
session. They discussed the Armenian comments on the Co-Chairs’ latest
formulations of the Basic Principles for the peaceful settlement of
the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. The talks were held in a constructive
spirit, and will be continued during the forthcoming travel of the
Co-Chairs to Yerevan and Nagorno Karabakh."